The Beasts of the East – Cleveland at Orlando

BetOnline NBA Basketball Betting Odds: ORLANDO -3, Total 188

Here are some of the NBA pro basketball betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

* CLEV has won 13 of its last 14 games SU

* CLEV has won four of its last five road games SU

* ORL has covered two of its last six games

* ORL has won six of its last seven games SU

* ORL has played seven of its last nine games UNDER the total

* ORL has won seven of its last eight home games SU

* ORL has played five of its last six home games UNDER the total

Also…

* ORL has covered nine of the last ten meetings

* ORL has won five of the last seven meetings SU

* The last four meetings have gone UNDER the total

* ORL has won and covered four of the last five meetings as the home team

* Thirteen of the last 19 meetings in Orlando have gone OVER the total

* CLEV has had the rebounding edge in four of the last six meetings

* ORL has made more three-pointers in each of the last six meetings

Both of these teams are coming off big disappointments. The Magic lost at home to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, perhaps looking ahead to this one. The Cavs may have been caught in the same kind of situation, dropping a 109-101 decision in Washington, despite hitting eleven shots from beyond the three-point line.

Dwight Howard is certainly making his case for the MVP award, averaging over 21 points and almost 14 rebounds, along with nearly three blocked shots a game for the Magic. Howard had 30 points in Wednesday’s game against the Raptors. The key in-season acquisition for Orlando, point guard Rafer Alston has been working out well. Alston, who replaced the injured Jameer Nelson in the lineup, has never been a big shooter but has dished out 5.1 assists per game with only 1.8 turnovers, basically picking up where he left off with the Rockets.

The technical numbers, lean in the Magic’s favor. Orlando is 12-5 ATS following a straight-up loss (although we must say that Cleveland is 12-1 ATS), and has also taken the measure of Cleveland in the head-to-head series, covering nine of the last ten meetings. They’ve met twice this season, with Orlando winning the first game by 11 points at the Amway Arena, then Cleveland coming back for a win-no cover against the Magic on March 17. In that last game, Alston had 23 points.

Howard has been outstanding in his two games against the Cavs this year, snaring 33 rebounds, shooting 61% and blocking eight shots. We realize both teams are on alert, and that there is no chance Orlando is going to catch Cleveland for first-place in the conference. But remember that the Magic can still be the #2 seed in the East, and Clevland is an uninspiring 3-5 ATS getting points. We’ll lay it with Orlando, the three-point favorite in the BetOnline NBA pro basketball sports betting odds.

JAY’S PLAY: ORLANDO -3 **

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